MOUNTAIN VIEW (AP) - Google's third-quarter results may have proven that a deepening decline in the Internet search leader's average ad prices matters less than how frequently people are clicking on the commercial pitches.

DENVER (AP) - An organization that gave away free marijuana cigarettes as a way to protest possible taxes in Colorado has filed an unusual campaign finance report, after a watchdog group said the pot qualified as a campaign contribution.

WASHINGTON (AP) - For the first month alone, the Obama administration projected that nearly a half million people would sign up for the new health insurance markets, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. But that was before the markets opened to a cascade of computer problems.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Microsoft is releasing its long-awaited Windows 8.1 upgrade as a free download starting Thursday. It addresses some of the gripes people have had with Windows 8, the dramatically different operating system that attempts to bridge the divide between tablets and PCs.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal officials have received more than 3,800 complaints in the last year from borrowers of private student loans, with common problems related to payment processing and requests for loan modifications.